


Love Knows No Age

by theorangeintheappletree



Category: Guardians of Childhood - Fandom, rise of the guardians
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-16
Updated: 2013-04-25
Packaged: 2017-12-08 15:27:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/762968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theorangeintheappletree/pseuds/theorangeintheappletree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When North unburies a certain spell book to try his hand for the first time in years at magic, things turn out smooth.  The guardian finds himself in his younger body, and finds that he can do so many things - including throwing a party!  But the results from this spell are not all rewarding for him, especially where Pitch is involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When Time Flies Backwards

**Author's Note:**

> Pfft, so hey! First AO3 work over here. Kind of excited, kind of nervous, kind of confused. I have yet to figure out how everything works. Anyway...
> 
> As you can see from the tags - or if you just stumbled upon this - this i a fix of Crystal Tooth, or Tooth and North. It is a very fluffy fic, so beware. Also might contain a bit of angst, if you could call it that.
> 
> So I'm going to stop speaking and let you read.
> 
> DISCLAIMER! I do not own anything from Rise of the Guardians, or from the Guardians of Childhood. These characters and settings are property of William Joyce and Dreamworks.

The yeti made his way through the rowdy workshop, holding an empty bowl that had once contained blue paint. He climbed the stairs carefully and blabbered at a few elves who ran over his feet clumsily, their bells jingling. The paint bowl was a cherished antique that belonged to the boss! If they broke it, they’d all be in extreme trouble.

Carefully the yeti approached the office on the top floor of the workshop. He was about to knock on the door when from the inside of the room came a startling whoosh. Red gas leaked out from under the door. From inside the office, the yeti could hear laughing. The door swung open, releasing more of the strange red substance. In the doorway stood a young man, wearing North’s clothes. They were far too big for him, making him look much smaller than he actually was. The man clung to the doorframe, his eyes – which were a familiar blue – wide.

“I still have it!” exclaimed North with another laugh. He let go of the doorframe and stumbled forward, not quite used to the body he had once had. “Tell me, friend-“ with this the guardian grabbed the yeti’s shoulder with a grip that hadn’t changed, pulling him down so he was at eye level with the man – “do I look different to you?” The yeti blubbered, lifting his shoulders, not knowing how to resoind. After North gave him a serious look he nodded, and watched as his boss’s face lightened again. “Yes! I knew it would work.” He let go of the yeti and, laughing heartily, made his way to his chambers.

Earlier, North had been carving in his office – as he usually did when he had nothing else to do – when an idea had struck him. What would happen if he tried magic again? It had been a while since he had cracked open a spell book. Why not see if he could still do it? So the guardian had unearthed the old books, and had carefully leafed through them to see what he would try. It would have to be something big, he had told himself. Something that would either work or not. The spell he chose was an age-reversing spell. And – if he did say so himself – North had done it perfectly!

North threw the doors to his chambers open, striding in giddily. He jumped onto the large bed in the middle of the room with a large grin. Yes, he could do that now. Now, he was more agile than before. Now, he had more stamina than before. Now, he was…smaller than before? The guardian looked down at his clothes, and realized that they didn’t fit at all. He hadn’t thought of that.

The guardian jumped off the bed, pitching forward. He really had to work on his balance again. It had been ages since he was this small. Pulling the doors to his closet open North looked through the clothes. That was too big, that was too big as well. He hadn’t worn that since the 1980s! And it was still too big. With a frown the guardian closed the closet doors, wondering where he had put his old clothes.

Norh walked about the room, tapping his scruffy chin in thought. Now, where had he put those clothes from his past? He stopped pacing, his head shooting up as he remembered. Of course! The office held all of his old relics from years before. Why had he not thought of that? The guardian walked back out of the room.

“Excuse me, I am walking,” the guardian stated gruffly, pushing past yetis- who were now taller than him – and tripping over elves. He muttered apologies to everyone as he closed the doors to his office. Once the doors were closed the guardian twirled around, stumbling once again. Now, it was time to find the clothes chest.

North had a good collection of chests in his office, their size varying immensely. He searched through them all, trying to find the prized clothes that fit. Had he known he would wear them once more, the guardian would have set the chest in a more accessible place. Finally he found the chest, a heavily decorated red and brown one that was about as long as he was tall.

With a grunt North set the chest on the table. He looked over it, his blue eyes sparkling. Yes, he remembered this chest. It was a gift he had received from Ombric, his former mentor from Santoff Claussen, and was one of the last things he had received from him. His eyes wandered across the chest for a minute more before he opened it.

The first thing that he saw was his hat. It was like the hat he owned now, but smaller, not to mention more worn out than the other. North picked it up, dusting it off. He took the hat that sat on his head off and replaced it with the one he found in the chest. A slow and wide grin spread across his face.

The next thing that he found in the chest was his coat. The coat, when put on, looked almost like a dress. Its long sleeves were laced with fur at the cuffs, and it buttoned up to the left on the torso. Loosely tied around the waist was a dark red sash. With an exclamation North pulled it out and set it on the table, followed by a simple shirt and trousers combo.

The last article of clothing North pulled out was a pair of shining black boots. The guardian set them on the floor, kicking his old ones off. Quickly he shed the bigger clothes, letting them fall to the floor. He picked the shirt and trousers up first, pulling on the pants as he let the shirt rest around his neck. Once finished he stuck his hands through the sleeves of the shirt, pulling it over his stomach.

After that came the coat. North picked up the thing, putting his arms through the heavy sleeves. He buttoned up the buttons one at a time, having to go back multiple times to rebutton the buttons that hadn’t quite gotten into the slips in the cloth. The guardian then tied the sash about his waist.

 

North pulled his boots on after that. He wiggled his toes inside, having missed the feeling of leather beneath his feet. Grinning yet again the guardian found his hat, which had fallen onto the ground when he had put on his shirt. After replacing it on his head he grabbed the old clothes and left the room.

“Take care of these, would you?” North asked a yeti, throwing him the clothes as he passed by. The yeti caught them, then looked at them curiously. Looking back up at his boss he blubbered a question. North looked over at him and grinned. “Me? I am off to go and tell the others!”

With a laugh North turned back around, walking to his sleigh. The yeti ran after him, almost barreling him over. He watched his boss clamber into the sleigh, grabbing the reins. The guardian shouted a few “Hyah!”s and before the yeti knew it the sleigh was up in the air, growing smaller and smaller.


	2. A Not-so-Stranger Visits the Palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which North - now younger - pays Toothiana and her fairies a little visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look - second chapter! It had been typed up a long while ago, I just had to edit it. Anyway.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to Rise of the Guardians or Guardians of Childhood. All characters and settings and ideas are property of William Joyce and Dreamworks.

“Come on, ladies! We’ve got things to do!” Toothiana exclaimed, clapping her hands and flying through the Palace. The little workers gave a determined nod and zipped off, chirping directions to each other. Tooth watched them leave with a soft giggle. Her fairies were so eager to work at times. It was a quality that made her smile. She needed enthusiastic workers, after all.

Toothiana flitted back to the largest pillar of the Palace, the one where she lived. She flew about, mindlessly readjusting things. This was what she did every now and then, while the majority of her fairies were out collecting teeth and leaving coins. While the Tooth Palace was rather empty Toothiana would make minor adjustments to her décor. Though she didn’t do it often, her readjustments had made her living area close to perfect.

A few tooth fairies zipped up to Toothiana, asking for more directions. After telling them and watching them leave, the guardian sat on her couch. What a day! The Tooth Palace was always bustling with little busybodies, but today it was even busier. It was a bit peculiar, however it was nothing Toothiana couldn’t handle. Now, though, she just needed to sit down she was so tired.

Before she could close her eyes, however, there was a commotion outside. Toothiana watched as a small flock of tooth fairies flew about in front of the Palace. They twittered at each other in worry, then looked at the sky again. At the sight of something the workers squeaked and dove out of the way.

Toothiana stood up, bewildered by this odd behavior. What exactly was going on? She flew out into the air, trying to find whatever it was that was spooking her fairies. Finally her violet eyes landed on the cause. A familiar red sleigh trailed behind the reindeer, pitching in every other direction. It was almost like Easter all over again.

It took a while for Toothiana to realize the sleigh was – more or less – headed straight for her. With a bit of a gasp the guardian quickly flew out of its path. She turned around and winced as the sleigh crashed right into a pillar, sending smoke into the air. That wasn’t normal.

The surrounding tooth fairies formed a crowd around the sleigh, twittering to each other. A few dived into the smoke to try and see what was wrong, but returned soon after, coughing. Toothiana flitted over to the sleigh, the crowd parting easily for her. She approached the thing, waving the smoke away. “North?” called the guardian. “North, are you in there?”

Laughter drifted out of the sleigh along with the smoke. The tooth fairies flew back as a hand gripped the side of the sleigh. A brown-headed young man popped out, his fur hat crooked. He continued laughing, looking unphased by the crash. The laughter faded with a sigh and he pushed the hat up from over his eyes, revealing them to be a familiar blue.

“Can we do that again?” asked the man, wearing a hopeful grin.

Toothiana waved the tooth fairies away, reminding them about the work. Reluctantly they flew off, now twittering about the odd – and handsome – young man who had arrived in North’s sled. “Are you alright?” she asked, offering North a hand. He took it, and pulled himself out of the sleigh with Toothiana’s help.

North dusted off his red coat and gave Toothiana a nod, as well as a smile. “Yes, of course – I am fine! Is only a little crash.” With this the guardian gave a chuckle. He turned to look at his sleigh, and blinked. “But, that is a big mess,” he noted before turning back to Toothiana. “Ah, I apologize for ruining your Palace.” His grin shrunk to an embarrassed smile.

“Don’t worry, nothing I can’t handle. But, you will be helping with the clean-up,” Toothiana stated, giving him a mock-stern look. North’s grin turned even more sheepish. “The only thing I don’t know is who you are, and why you were driving North’s sleigh.” Her eyebrows came together and she took North’s face in her hands, jerking it closer so she could study it.

“You look familiar, but I can’t quite put my thumb on it!”

North blinked his blue eyes twice, staring into Toothiana’s concerned purple ones. He pulled out of her grip, holding her hands in his. “I am still Nicholas St. North,” he stated, his eyebrows raising. “But I am younger now! I come in my sleigh to show you!” At this the guardian smiled widely.

There was a pause as Toothiana looked up at him. Her eyes then widened and she shot up a few feet, jerking North into the air with her. “Oh! North, I knew you looked familiar!” exclaimed the guardian. She looked down at where North dangled in the air and landed, setting him back on his feet. “Sorry. I got excited,” she explained quietly, her turn to be sheepish.

North chuckled, unphased by Toothiana’s actions. “Is expected,” he admitted. The two were soon joined by a mob of curious tooth fairies. They flew about North, inspecting the odd man that had landed at the Palace. North watched them twitter about, not used to this new attention that was a result of his youth.

“Ladies!” The tooth fairies squeaked in protest, turning to look at Toothiana, who crossed her arms. Again the workers flew off to work. Toothiana turned back to North, wearing another apologetic smile. “Sorry. They’re just really excited to see you like this.” It didn’t take much to excite the tooth fairies. With looks like young North’s, they were helpless.

North only lifted his shoulders, still not very bothered. He looked over at the sleigh and scratched the back of his head. “We should probably get to work on this,” mused the guardian. Then his eyes lit up as he remembered his original intent.

“Quick, tell the others!” exclaimed North, making his way along the pillar. Stumbling along the way, he waved his arms in attempt to catch the attention of the tooth fairies. It didn’t take long until – yet again – they were surrounding him.

Toothiana followed after him, looking confused. “The others? The other Guardians? Why?” she asked. North turned around to look at her and gave a bright smile. He could hear the tooth fairies sighing in amazement. During his young years, North had teeth that could rival Jack Frost’s.

The guardian raised his arms. “To celebrate this amazing feat, we will throw a party!” he announced in a confident voice. “And it will be here! At Tooth Palace!” He gave a confident laugh, resting his hands on his hips.

“But the sleigh,” Toothiana protested, motioning to the crash. North waved a dismissive hand. “We will worry about the sleigh at later time. Now, we celebrate! Fairies!” The tooth fairies, who had been staring at North’s shining teeth, squeaked to attention. “Let the other guardians now that we are having a party at the Tooth Palace!” They nodded and flitted off.

North turned to look at Toothiana. “Enjoy yourself, Toothy,” he advised in a gentle tone. “Now is the time to do it!” Hesitantly she gave him a smile, which made him smile as well. “I’ll try.”

“That’s exactly what I want to hear.”

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

“Try all you might, ‘Toothy’. But when I’m done, you will have nothing to enjoy,” Pitch crowed. In the darkness, he let out a malevolent cackle.


	3. Party Plans And Sinister Schemes Are Not Alike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During which the party is being set up for, and a dance occurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the third chapter! Hope you enjoy it, this contains one of the greatest scenes to ever make me squeal.
> 
> DICLAIMER: I do not own anything from Rise of the Guardians or Guardians of Childhood. That is property of William Joyce and Dreamworks Animation.

Pitch let go of the orb, letting the scene fade from its surface. He walked about the thing, watching as his makeshift crystal ball changed back into the sinister globe. A smile made his thin lips tilt upward.  
“A party it is, eh?” asked the Nightmare King, putting his hands behind his back and walking down the stairs slowly. “I shouldn’t have suspected anything different. Does that idiot know how to do anything else?”  
His smirk disappeared, and a disgusted scowl took its place. “I should’ve thought the most intimidating guardian would be more serious than that,” he drawled, his voice echoing in the quiet of the place. Pitch gave a sigh, pinching his nose between his forefinger and thumb.  
“But," he continued, looking back up, ”now he looks different. How long has it been since I’ve seen him like that? So young, yes.” The Nightmare King came across a wanted sign. On it was a familiar bearded face. He regarded it for a while and then walked off. “I wonder if he’ll call himself Nicholas, now that he’s younger.”  
Pitch made his way across the floor of his lair. “And of course, the old oaf believes himself to be such a dashing young fellow that he’s gone to court the fairy!” he exclaimed in mock surprise. “Typical. But, no matter. Soon there will be no darling fairy for him to court!” With this the Nightmare King whirled around, throwing a dagger at the wanted sign. It landed with a thunk right in the middle of the grinning thief’s forehead.  
“Now, let’s see how horribly one can crash a party,” Pitch murmured softly to himself, a sinister grin showing off his jagged teeth.

\------------------------------

North’s eyebrows came together as he contemplated the features his party would have. “There will be food,” he decided with a nod. “And drinks. Both alcoholic and not. What is party without a bit of beer?” With this he chuckled.  
“What else…hmm.” North paced around the pillar, stumbling a bit. Toothiana, who had been flying by his side, reached forward when the other guardian pitched forward. He waved his hand with another chuckle. “I am fine,” North assured her with a smile. “A little clumsy is all.” Hesitantly Toothiana gave a nod of agreement. Since North had changed, she had been worrying about every one of his little trips. She liked to believe that it was because now he was much younger and therefore needed more care. And even so, she was still unsure if this was really her intent.  
The two soon approached the sleigh crash. North turned back around, continuing the other way. “Maybe some dancing,” he mused, raising a thoughtful eyebrow. “Dancing would not be too bad. Ballroom or no?” With this he turned to look at Toothiana.  
“What? Um, how about both?” Toothiana suggested with a lift of her shoulders. She watched North’s face as he considered, cocking his head to the side. Finally he nodded, smiling. “Yes, both! I am liking this.” Toothiana returned the smile, feeling rather…giddy? Why was that, she wondered. She shook her head, dismissing it. That was when realization hit her, when it hit her rather hard.  
North tapped his chin in thought, jumping lithely to another pillar nearby. “We will need a dance floor,” he decided, slowing his pace so Toothiana could catch up. “And everything that comes with that.” The guardian turned around, catching the other by surprise. “Do you have a dance floor in your Palace?”  
Toothiana thought about it for a moment. She gave a vigorous nod. “Yes, but I’ve been using to for storage recently. It’s been a while since I’ve had a party that involved it. Um, North-“  
“Wonderful!” North interrupted with a wide smile on his face. He began to look around at the other pillars. “Come, I will help you clean it out. Where exactly is it?” The guardian began to jump from pillar to pillar.  
Toothiana followed after him, feeling worry well up inside of her. “It’s actually to the right,” she stated. “Here, follow me.” With this the guardian flitted off to the pillar that contained the dance floor. She turned around, waiting for North to jump his way over.  
“North, before you go inside,” Toothiana began, flying in front of the doors before North had a chance to open them, “I need to tell you something.” She landed on the ground softly. North watched her, cocking his head again. “What is it, Toothy?” His voice carried pure concern as he watched her.  
Toothiana took a deep breath and then let it out. “I…can’t dance,” she murmured quietly, looking at her feet. Secretly she hoped that he hadn’t heard her, that he’d shrug it off and open the door anyway. But instead, North said something she hadn’t been expecting.  
“And why is that?”  
Surprised, Toothiana looked up at North. She hadn’t expected this – of all things – to be so important to him. The guardian cleared her throat. “I just…never learned.” She lifted her shoulders awkwardly. No one had bothered to teach her, surprisingly, and when she was offered with lessons, she was too embarrassed to take them.  
“I see,” noted North in a thoughtful tone. Toothiana watched as he stroked his beard, looking at her. She gave a bit of a smile, not knowing what else to do. Finally North pushed the door open. “Then today will be the day you learn to dance!”  
Toothiana flew into the room after him, having had to pick her jaw up from the ground first. “You’re – you’re going to teach me?” asked the guardian in disbelief. Never before had the thought crossed her mind. North turned around and gave her a smile. “Why not? You’ll need to know for the party!” he pointed out, beginning to move chests from the dance floor. Toothiana watched him do so distractedly. “Yes, but…to be honest, I didn’t think you were going to teach me.” For some reason, admitting it made her blush.  
North gave a nod, setting a rather heavy chest against the wall. “Neither did I,” he agreed. “But, teaching you will be a great honor for me.” The guardian gave a gentle smile. It wasn’t large and boisterous, it wasn’t proud and toothy. It was meaningful and timid, almost as if he were shy.  
“Now!” North jumped to his feet, stumbling a bit. He grinned at Toothiana, who smiled back. “It is time to teach the Queen of the Tooth Fairies how to dance.” The guardian walked over to her and offered her his hand. With a smile Toothiana took it, landing back on her feet.  
As soon as she did, North gently brought Toothiana closer to him. “You take your other hand and place it on my shoulder.” With his free hand he put hers where it belonged. “And I put my other hand on your waist.” Gently he let his hand rest just above her hipbone.  
Toothiana felt her breath catch once his hand made contact with her. There was a pause, and they both looked at each other. North’s face melted into a smile. “Now, let us dance.” She barely managed a nod.  
Slowly North began to move his feet gracefully to ¾ time. Toothiana looked down at her own feet, trying to match his movements. Her feathered feet stumbled a bit as she tried to keep her balance. She began to falter, messing the dance up. Before she could say that she quit, however, North’s feet had stopped.  
“The trick,” the guardian began, lifting Toothiana’s chin with his finger so that her face looked up at his, “is to not look at your feet.” He smiled gently, looking amused. Toothiana faltered, her words sticking in her throat. Finally she nodded. “Let me lead,” North continued with a soft chuckle. “You do not have to be in charge all the time.”  
Toothiana returned the faint smile. They resumed the dance, neither looking at their feet. When Toothiana’s feet fell on North’s he did not say anything. He continued to not say anything when they didn’t move, but continued to dance.  
“I didn’t know you knew how to dance this well,” Toothiana breathed as they danced across the dance floor. North lifted his shoulders. “In my life I’ve gone to many dances. Mainly it was to steal riches off of unsuspecting party guests,” he added, raising his eyebrows. Toothiana gave a soft giggle at this.  
North smiled upon hearing her giggle. “Did you know, your laugh is one of the loveliest things I have ever heard,” he stated softly. This caused Toothiana to stop. She looked away, hoping her blush wasn’t noticeable. “Thank you,” she managed to murmur.  
“You’re more than welcome.” There was silence after that. The only sound was the soft clump of North’s boots as they hit the wooden floor. Toothiana’s mind was in a frenzy. He had said that. He had really said that. She hadn’t made that up. How was that?  
Gently, North gave Toothiana’s side a squeeze. She gave a soft yelp, coming out of her thoughts. “Sorry,” apologized the Russian, wearing a sheepish smile. “Look.” He nodded down to their feet. Toothiana looked down, and her eyes widened.  
“You’re dancing on your own.”  
Earlier, North had allowed Toothiana to dance on his feet. Now, her feet weren’t on his, but they were on the floor, mimicking his movements. Toothiana looked up at North and laughed, ecstatic. “I am!” she exclaimed happily. North gave a nod, returning the smile. “Rather well, too,” he added. With an excited laugh, she began dancing faster. North picked up his pace as well, a bit surprised at her sudden gain of speed. The two continued dancing, faster and faster until North tripped over his own feet, falling onto the ground and taking Toothiana with him.  
Laughing, the Russian sat up, his hat tilted at a precarious angle. He looked at Toothiana, who had landed in his lap, giggling uncontrollably. She looked up at him, her giggles fading with a little sigh. Blue eyes met purple ones and – once again – a silence fell.  
Before either could muster up something to say, however, there was a catcall. Both North and Toothiana turned to see Jack, leaning in the doorway with an amused smirk on his pale face.

“Looks like we got some lovers on the dance floor.”


End file.
